


Jones Ianto Jones

by alafaye



Series: Travels [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Immortality, M/M, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-13
Updated: 2012-05-13
Packaged: 2017-11-05 06:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/403373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Light years away from Earth and centuries after the Thames house and that event where no one could die, Jack sees a familiar face. A face he never though he'd see again. A face that doesn't want anything much to do with Jack except where it concerns their job--which involves two planets, a human government that doesn't want to get involved, a mineral, and an alien government that decides it wants to a playground bully again. It's kind of complicated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jones Ianto Jones

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so there's a lot here. You can either hang out and read all the notes or just skip ahead if you just want to read the story. But the notes are important to me and while they won't help you understand the story, they are part of it's birth, growth, and completion.
> 
> 1.) Thank you to my beta, jolinarjackson. She has an amazing eye for catching spelling and grammar mistakes, plot inconsistencies, and where the characters may get a bit out of character. She was lovely and this fic would not be what it is without her.
> 
> 2.) This fic started because of a certain leaked gif whose origins I don't know. Unfortunately. A friend posted it on livejournal and she got it from her friend on tumblr. So who knows? Anyway, here is the gif: http://pics.livejournal.com/alafaye/pic/0002g49e Gareth David Lloyd in black shirt, jeans, hip thrusting in time to a beat while biting his lip. It screamed 'write a fic to match!' So I did.
> 
> 3.) But the problem became a bit bigger than I first suspected. Because in my head Jack would have seen a singer doing that and having seen, know it was Ianto. Only I had to ask the muse 'why wouldn't Jack know it was Ianto at first? What is going on that Jack doesn't know Ianto is wherever he is?' And it grew into this big bang length piece that I never suspected the muse capable of.
> 
> 4.) And then, okay, here we have two immortals who have in an inability to talk to each other. I thought at first, let's toss in an ex of Ianto's to make all the awkward feelings come forward and get the boys talking. Only it never happened--the Doctor showed up instead. And I know it's an over used fandom trope to have an immortal Ianto and toss in the Doctor. I'm not quite a fan of this trope. But the Doctor is good for tossing these two such immortals into a box that will jump in and lock them in a specific room to talk about those feelings.
> 
> 5.) But on the bright side they do not 'ride into the sunset'. Because in the end, though this is a fic featuring an immortal Ianto and a stubborn Doctor, it is actually just about two people who loved each other once, had a bit of a falling out, met again, fucked when it couldn't be avoided, fought and ignored, and at the end of the gun fight, decided to do what the rest of us do in our every lives: give it one hell of a try, never knowing if it's going to break our hearts.
> 
> Okay. That's all I have to say about this fic. Love it or hate it, it is and it's lovely.
> 
> My thank to Douglas Adams for his lovely phrases that creeped in here (kudos if you get them), and Moffat for giving me a Doctor who has given me the exact Doctor I needed for this.
> 
> Thanks for reading (especially if you stuck through to the end of this epic writer's note). Rec if you'd like and comment if you especially liked it.

Jack eyed the sign over the bar--unreadable, but recognizable. He compared it with the message from Thrax and hoped that this time, Thrax wouldn't be late. The bouncer gave him a slow once over and when he finally lifted his eyes to Jack's, they promised a good night later if Jack wanted. Jack winked and continued inside. If this was that kind of bar, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Thrax was late.

As he entered, music poured out and lights flashed. At one end were tables--some for two, some for more. The bar lined the wall opposite the door and at the other end of the space was an area for dancing. Stools lined the walls there while the crowd crushed against each other. He half smiled and slipped through the throng to a free space at the bar. It was well equipped--from the bottles lining the walls to the shield that allowed a bartender to hear orders.

It was rather high end for the usual place Thrax chose. Usually, it was the kind that had evolved from what had been a tavern on Earth--room enough for tables, food barely edible, and the drinks just enough to blur the dull edge of reality. This though--this was the kind of place Jack would go to on his down time. He enjoyed it well enough, but what was Thrax planning for this mission?

He took his drink and edged around the crowd, trying to get closer to the stage. Thrax would find him either way and why not enjoy a bit of the show? If this mission was as bad as Jack suspected it could be, this might be his only chance to relax for a while.

The band was actually a duo--one a Vasway, dark purple and tentacled. He was using his extras to expertly use the machine that poured out the instrumental part of the songs and Jack wondered if he would have time later to chat up the Vasway. Tentacles that good had to be better in bed. He turned to the other part of the duo, this one human. His voice was strong, lilting a bit, and he played the crowd expertly--near enough to them to tease, but far enough away not to promise anything. Jack tilted his head, intrigued. The lights made it difficult to see the face and Jack walked closer. Two for one tonight would be better.

A guitar rift began pouring from the machine and the singer stopped. He turned into the music and he thrust his hips in time to the beat. The crowd went wild, but Jack frowned. Something tugged at his memory. That twist--nah, it couldn't be. That move couldn't be unique to just one person. He got as close as he could to the stage and took a closer look at the singer. _Fuck me_ he thought. 

Jones. Ianto Jones.

But...that couldn't be.

As the world tried to squeeze Jack into nothing, drowning in his memories, the singer turned back to his microphone and he caught Jack's eye. His face lit up with familiarity and he smirked. Jack let out a breath and half smiled.

~~~

"So." 

Jack looked up from his drink--something a little stronger than the juice he'd had before--and huffed out a laugh. "You."

"You," Ianto Jones said. He leaned sideways on the bar and raised an eyebrow. "What brings you here?" His voice was different--the accent less Welsh and more of the standard galatic. Under it all, though, was still the hint of Welsh that Jack could hear sometimes when he let himself remember. Though it had been near to two centuries, the memories were still quite sharp.

"I could ask you the same," Jack said. He had more questions than that--starting with the Thames House.

"Oh, lots of time for that later," Ianto said. "If you're up for it."

"Mm, memories, not always my strong suit," Jack said.

"I remember that much," Ianto said quietly. The teasing dropped from his voice and he ran a finger through some water that had dripped from a bottle on the bar top. "I couldn't find you, you know."

"I did leave."

"Gwen told me as much," Ianto said.

"Gwen knew?!" Why hadn't she told him? If she were still alive, Jack would give her a talking to. This was just not something one kept a secret.

"I told her not to tell you--I knew you, Jack," Ianto said. "If you had known I was alive, you would have done something stupid."

"I would have tried to help you," Jack said.

Ianto shook his head. "You wouldn't have--you would have run or pretended that nothing was wrong." He took a deep breath. "But Gwen finally convinced me to find you."

"How long did you look for me?" Jack asked, dreading the answer.

"Long enough," Ianto said. "I gave up after about a hundred years. I had to--when one has eternity stretching before him, you don't spend your time looking for someone. Especially since our universe is so big." 

"And now I found you."

Ianto smiled. "You did."

"Quite by accident, not that I mind."

"And why are you here?"

"I'm meeting someone. I've got a new trade--or an old one, depending on how you look at it."

"And what's that?"

"Smuggling medicine."

"Medicine?"

"The good stuff, I swear. There's colonies who need the medicine, but can't for whatever reason. I work for the companies and deliver the medicine to the colonies who need it. I'm here for my next assignment."

"Funny place to do it."

"What can I say--I work for all kinds."

Ianto laughed and signaled the bartender. "How about a drink then while you wait?"

~~~

A voice from behind Jack interrupted their conversation some time later. "Ah, Jack!"

Jack turned from Ianto--oh, he had forgotten how charming Ianto was. He wouldn't call it flirting--in fact, if Jack knew people well enough, he'd say that Ianto was keeping himself closed off. Yet he was smiling and laughing and masterfully helping Jack relax. Jack was close to turning their conversation into flirting because he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep himself from not.

Thrax--dressed in a blue suit that complimented his sea green skin--clapped him on the back. "See you've met your contact already. I should have known--put together the universe's biggest playboys and they're bound to wind up together, am I right?"

"You're the contact?" Jack asked Ianto. "I thought you were a singer?"

"I'm multi-talented, as well you know," Ianto said with a smirk. "I learned some new ones out here."

"And now you both will be putting your considerable talents to use together--and I don't mean the ones in your pants," Thrax laughed, the nubs on his face dancing with his delight. He signaled the bartender for his own drink. "Come, we'll discuss at a table like civilized gentlemen."

Jack and Ianto followed him, Jack lost in his thoughts. He was familiar with reuniting with lovers who had changed, but never those he left on Earth. Ianto was a ghost from his past, but not this Ianto. He was slowly adjusting to it, but it was difficult. How much different was Ianto now? What had changed and what hadn't? As much as Jack wanted Ianto in bed again, he wanted to know more. Just as on Earth, Ianto Jones intrigued Jack and he was, as always, on his knees to find out what secrets Ianto kept. But it looked like that might be difficult--Ianto was more closed off than he had been after Canary Wharf.

"Now, business and I'll leave you both to the details or each other, whichever," Thrax said. He set down a holo pad and called up the details. A hologram appeared, displaying a medium-sized planet, more blue than green and with a smattering of purple and orange. "This is Chroyben and the population is in need of supplies for their wounded. A Nixie from a neighboring planet has decided that with some considerable wealth, he can control the region."

Ianto studied the hologram. "Because of Chroyben's mineral deposits."

"Exactly," Thrax replied. He typed a few characters on the holo pad and another image came up. This time it was a frighter ship, worn, but usable. "This is his ship. He has a crew of about sixty and they're the worst sort of scum. They fight dirty and with the Nixie's resources, they are near unstoppable. Now, Chroyben falls under the human empire, but they're loathed to get involved as Nixies are not theirs to fight with. It's a political nightmare."

Jack sighed. "I told them it would happen." He remembered the frustration and headache that had ensued when he had found out about the situation some years ago. He had known it would lead to trouble and now it had.

"Which is where you come in," Thrax said. "You both have the talents that are needed for this."

Ianto smirked. "So we go in and give them their medical supplies and then take out the Nixie?"

"Got it in one," Thrax said. He powered down the holo pad and pushed it toward them. "Everything you need to know is on there--there's a ship in the nearby docking bay for you. It's ready to go, all paid. Just get the supplies delivered first."

Jack nodded. "All right then," he said. "And--"

Thrax smirked. "Half your pay is already in your account. Get this done and the rest will be on its way, as usual. Same for you, Ianto." He stood. "Now, I have to be on my way. The humans are asking questions about the newest supply again." He nodded his head and left them to it.

Jack cocked an eyebrow at Ianto. "Since I've got the skills to deliver the medicine, I suppose you're here because you have a specialty dealing with trouble?"

"As opposed to you--who loves to cause it?" Ianto teased.

"Well, I wouldn't say it like that," Jack said with a smirk.

"You wouldn't," Ianto replied. "I always was good with a gun and being out here, I learned how to use those skills you taught me, only better."

Jack tried to subtly adjust himself. There was just something about a man who knew his way around weapons. He licked his lips and leaned forward a little. "Maybe you could show me? Later?"

Ianto half-smiled, cocky. "Would you like that?"

"I would."

Ianto chuckled and shook his head. He leaned toward Jack, aiming for his ear. "Too bad for you I'm not that easy anymore."

Jack stiffened. "Ianto--"

Ianto waved his hand. "Past, Jack. It's in the past." He stood and finished his drink. "I have a set to finish--I'll meet you at the dock at nine if that works for you."

Jack grabbed Ianto's wrist, but whatever he had intended to say left him in a rush. Instead, he and Ianto stared at each other. Ianto shook his head and removed Jack's hand from his wrist. He gave Jack a look that seemed to say "stay away" and then left for the stage to finish his set. Jack closed his eyes and leaned his head on his hands. What a mess.

~~~

Promptly at nine, Jack arrived at the dock. The ship was a late model, at least ten years old, but as he ran his hand around the hull, he could feel the excitement fill his system. The ship had been a whirlwind when it arrived and outbeat nearly all models that were then available. The shielding was superb and the guns beautifully hidden to maximize the effects. Even better--it only got better with age. Those who owned one of these were unlikely to sell it.

"Ah, good, you're here," Ianto said as he stepped off the ship. He carried a cloth and he had a grease smudge on his cheek. "I've just been looking her over--she's in great shape."

"They don't usually need a lot of maintaince," Jack said.

"Mm, I wanted one when it came out," Ianto agreed. "Amazing design."

"I flew one just the once," Jack said with a smile. "Now that was a supply trip to remember. We had it done in under a day. In and out--Thrax nearly sent me back because he thought I hadn't done the job right."

"Well, here's your chance again," Ianto said. "I can fly alright, but I'm not that great at it. If I remember correctly, though, you are."

Jack shrugged. "When you've got it, you've got it."

Ianto chuckled and nodded his head to the inside of the ship. "Come on, then. She's ready to go and we've got clearance."

Jack smiled as he followed Ianto inside (getting a good look at that rear that hadn't changed, of course). He had forgotten how well Ianto managed the little things and kept a mission running smooth. Jack had had a few others at his side that could do that, but none could ever manage with the quick intuition that Ianto had. It felt good, knowing that he could focus on what he needed to, and let someone else worry about getting them out safely.

Inside, the ship matched the outer design in functionality as well as artful decoration. It was clean, minimal, but welcoming. The engines were humming under his feet, filling his ears, and the lights were all dancing in the right sequence. He set his duffel into a free space, buckling it down, and set his coat in another cabinet. In the cockpit, Ianto was on headset, confirming with the dock employees, and Jack settled into the seat.

"Never done this before," Jack muttered. He let his hands get a feel for the buttons and switches and then settle on the wheel. The ship seemed to sense that its pilot was aboard and began to vibrate with the need to leave, to get out into space. Jack sympathisized--there was nothing like breaking free of the atmosphere and having the black of space surround you.

"I don't believe that," Ianto said, breaking Jack from his thoughts. He switched off the headset and flipped a few switches, setting the ship into motion.

Jack flexed his hands and gently pulled the wheel back so they would begin their assent. "What?"

"That you've never done this before."

Jack's lips twitched. "I meant with you."

There was silence from Ianto and Jack glanced over for a second. His co-pilot's face was blank, meaning that a wealth of emotions were being hidden, and Jack wished he had the freedom to ask. He took a deep breath and swallowed down his emotions. "Have we broken free of the city?"

"Nearly," Ianto said, sounding distracted. He flipped another switch. "There. We're clear of the buildings."

Jack pulled the wheel back further and the ship began shaking more. "Must have seen a lot of action, this one." He reached up and pushed another button which sent them higher, into the upper atmosphere. Ianto called out the layers, helping Jack guide them out.

And then they were there, in the black void. Jack smiled as he looked out of the window, unable to stop himself from feeling freer out here. A deep part of him wished he could send them into the Vortex--there, oh, there they were really free. He set the ship to auto pilot, knowing that Ianto would have already programmed in their coordinates. "Well, that was easy. I wish they made more of these ships."

Ianto released his straps. "Gravity?"

"If you'd like," Jack said. He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. "We could go without--nothing like sex in zero-g."

"In this ship, there'd be a lot to bump into and I would rather save my battle wounds for the Nixie," Ianto said. There again--blank face.

Jack pulled his lip between his teeth, deep in thought. Ianto set a light gravity for them and then moved out of the cockpit. Alone, Jack leaned back and rubbed the back of his neck. It had to have been a long time for Ianto since Torchwood and the 456 and his life then, maybe longer if he had had time for travelling through the Vortex. He was a different man, exactly as Jack had known the night before, but this Ianto--despite his flirting, he might not welcome Jack's advances. He'd rebuffed Jack every time and kept himself closed off.

He left the cabin and went looking for Ianto. It wasn't difficult--the ship wasn't too large, having only a few rooms. It was made more for a quick jaunt from a transport ship to a planet or other ship. Oh, it could house a few people for a few weeks, but it wasn't designed to be lived in for long periods. Jack found Ianto in what was called the common area--a table with chairs, a kitchnette, a screen for watching holo-vids or private communications. Ianto had called up the information on Thrax's holo pad and had another screen up on which he was making notes. Another screen was scrolling through information.

"Ianto," Jack greeted. Ianto raised an eyebrow, cool indifference. "I...I'm sorry."

Ianto stopped dead and turned yet another blank look at Jack. "Sorry?"

Jack nodded and waved his hand in the air. "I should've realized that you didn't want...well, I think I maybe misread things or assumed too much. I won't ask again for, uh--"

"A Jack Harkness afraid to discuss sex," Ianto said with a smirk. "Imagine that."

"Only with some," Jack said quietly. It sat between them, Jack trying to reach out and Ianto behind a wall of his own making. Jack took a deep breath and decided that as this was his offer to keep it business, he should turn it to business. "Making a plan of attack?"

Ianto nodded and quickly turned back to the holoscreens. "Yes. Thrax gave us some good information, but I've also called up what reports we have on this Nixie. I know Thrax said we should deliver the medical supplies first, but I believe we're going to have to get rid of the Nixie first."

"Why?" Jack asked as he joined Ianto. 

"He somehow is keeping track of every ship that passes within the planet," Ianto said. He tapped a sequence out and the scolling information was minimized. It was replaced by a table of...attacks. Jack whistled. Ianto smiled smugly. "I think he has more than one ship. Two or three maybe. Doing patrols for him, letting him know of any disturbances. That kind of thing. If we try to get in there to deliver supplies, he's going to know."

"I've gotten past worst," Jack said. 

"And now you have me for this and I think we should go for the Nixie first," Ianto said.

"Well, you are in charge of that and if you think we should, we will," Jack said.

Ianto frowned and made more notes. After a few moments, however, he said, "I thought you liked being in charge, deciding what happened during missions."

"It's been a long time," Jack said. "I've learned a few things."

"He said you had," Ianto replied quietly.

"Who? Thrax?" Jack asked. He couldn't think of anyone else they both knew now.

"The Doctor," Ianto said. His eyelid twitched, as though he was looking quickly at Jack.

Whose heart had skipped a beat and something in his stomach twisted unpleasantly. "The Doctor? You met him?"

Ianto hummed under his breath and brought up the scrolling screen again as it highlighted a particular article. "He's...interesting. Unlike anyone I've ever met. Kind of like you, but more."

Jack swallowed hard. "I should go check on the auto pilot."

As he left, he thought he heard Ianto call his name, but he needed space.

~~~

The days traveling were quiet and filled to the brim with tension. They discussed the mission, Ianto's plan of attack, and how they would neutralize the threat. Little else was said. Nothing of their shared past, nothing of what they had done since, and certainly not of the possibility of doing more than being co-pilots. There were moments--in so close quarters it was impossible to not bump into each other--that racketed up the tension between them and Jack ached for the easy relationship they had shared.

It made for a lot of thinking. Jack had known, on Earth, that Ianto had deliberately kept parts of himself closed off, hidden. Jack had done the same--being who he was, never being certain of the future, it all made relationships difficult. And Ianto--Jack had long known that relationships with employees and coworkers were difficult on Earth in that time. There were morals and codes and unspoken rules about relationships that were only added to in the work place. Ianto was a twenty first century man--he'd grown up in a society that had so many expectations and strict forms for genders and homosexual relationships. 

Oh, Ianto had grown and changed and accepted that he was, in some ways, bisexual. With Jack's casual approach to sex and love, Ianto had changed.

But still, something had kept them apart. Their past, their families, secrets and Torchwood itself. Theirs had never been an equal partnership.

Jack's relationships on Earth had changed him. He always did love having a few bed partners and not all of them had to be human or male. It always made for a fun time. But his relationships were different--just one, only the one, at a time. He had never closed himself off to the possiblity of more than one, but in that century, monogamy was not just the norm, it was the only. You didn't have more than one person in your bed at a time. It was considered rude and immoral and just plain wrong. Times did change, but never quite to what Jack had grown up with in his time.

Having that close tie with just the one person--it was different and new and in some ways, more intimate. And while he always had an appreciation for the other parts of relationships that weren't sex, he learned to anticipate the down time, the moments between sex. The whispers under the bed sheets, stolen kisses behind a fan, the touches that were just meant to convey appreciation and love and affection.

He'd carried those lessons with him when he'd left Earth. It had made a world of difference. For though he still spent his days without a partner, the relationships he did have filled his days more than in the past and made the time alone easier to bear.

Jack wished in some moments he had been more careful with his lovers on Earth. He had never let himself get too close, always aware of what he was going to loose and how much it would hurt, but it was only toward the end that he realized what he'd really lost. 

And Ianto...he was one of many, he'd known that from the start. It had started as just sex between them. It had. Teasing and looks and touches. Something grew, though, between them when Jack realized that he would be immortal, that he would never get the chance to not grow old with a partner. They still were hiding from each other, but there was a sense of stability between them and a sort of fondness. It was difficult for Jack to not become attached--Ianto was strong and brilliant and loved sex as much as Jack. Anyone would be proud to be with Ianto and Jack was. Oh, he was.

It just wasn't meant to be.

Now, they were older and in some ways more jaded and there were more secrets. Jack wanted to take the time to uncover each one and lay his own bare, but there was a distance, bigger and more loud than before, and he didn't know where to begin to find the bridge to remove that distance.

~~~

"Can I ask you something?" Jack asked as they were finishing dinner.

"Depends," Ianto hedged, eyes pleading for something and yet nothing.

"You survived the 456 attack," Jack began. "And you eventually came looking for me."

"You ran away," Ianto said, a hint of accusation in his voice.

"That's who I was," Jack said softly. He began to reach out with his hand, but stopped when he remembed it would be an unwelcome touch and it instead lay between them, awkardly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't," Ianto warned.

Jack took a deep breath. "I'm going to assume you were looking for me to ask me what I had done to you."

Ianto set down his fork and leaned back on the bench. He looked away, face darkening. "I may have."

"I don't blame you," Jack said. He looked down and poked his food with his own fork. "But you found the Doctor--did he..." He almost asked if the Doctor had given Ianto answers which was just a little too close to what Jack himself had said when he'd come back.

"He said I'm like you," Ianto said into the deafening silence. "That somehow I'm like you."

"I'm sorry," Jack whispered. "I--"

"He said it wasn't your fault," Ianto said. "Something about the Rift and some science stuff. I'm not sure and I don't think he is, either. I just...am. Now."

Jack took a deep breath. "Huh. Good to know."

"That none of your other lovers will come looking for you?" Ianto asked. "Since you might have made them immortal?"

"You were the only one I ever brought back, you know," Jack said. "There was no one else."

Ianto shifted. "Just me?"

Jack smirked. "Just you."

"I don't know what to think about that," Ianto said.

Jack shrugged and looked up. He met Ianto's eyes, full of questions and accusations. "Don't. I'm not even sure what made me think it would work."

"I am still grateful you did. I know I wasn't at the time, but I eventually was and I still am."

"Even now?"

Ianto studied Jack for long moments. "Yes. Even now."

~~~

The shower was cursed. Jack was sure of it. It was no bigger than an old Earth phonebox and rarely achieved a water temperature above luke warm. It was also one of the few places where he and Ianto often found themselves at odds. It was at the end of the space where the bunks were so if one came out of the shower, they were immediately pressed against whomever happened to be at the bunks. The first time it had happened, they'd made an agreement to avoid it in the future. However, the shower was in a soundproofed area--it made it difficult to know if anyone was in it.

Jack woke up from a brief nap and scrubbed his face. He stretched as he stood and as he turned to grab his shirt where he'd put it, he ran into Ianto as he left the shower. They were wedged--one in a corner and the other against the bunkers. They could easily get out of it, but it would involve a lot of wiggling and rubbing and Jack was already half-hard from the contact.

"I'm beginning to think they designed this ship for honeymooners," Ianto muttered under his breath.

"May have," Jack chuckled. He tried to keep his breath shallow, to not breathe in too much; Ianto after a shower had always been an unresistable treat and in the old days, Ianto would often just drag Jack into the shower to avoid needing to take a second one. (Much to his chargrin, it rarely worked.)

He was warm from the water and his skin just wet enough that Jack would easily be able to run his hands across Ianto's chest. A drop of water fell from his hair to his neck and shoulder and Jack's mouth watered, imagining being able to chase it.

"Jack!" 

Jack blinked and looked at Ianto, who was blushing. "Huh?"

Ianto swore under his breath. "Your hormones?"

"Can't help it," Jack said with a smirk. "You're just too much for me."

Ianto muttered something that sounded vaguely like "try the other way around", but he quickly began to edge out of the corner. Jack clenched his hands into fists and stared at the ceiling, trying to help without getting too obvious what he preferred they do. His hips twitched when their cocks brushed, both of them half hard and hot. Ianto twisted more and then he was free, running away to the little space where they had some privacy to get dressed. Jack banged his head back against the wall and decided enough was enough.

~~~

"Right, I know you don't want to talk about it, but we're going to," Jack said when he finally found Ianto an hour later. (For a small ship, Ianto proved incredibly hard to find--he knew all the hiding spaces.)

"About what?" Ianto asked, looking entirely too innocent.

Jack shut the door to the common area, leaving them with no choice but to remain in the room. "About us."

Ianto's face closed down. "There is no us."

"There was," Jack said. "Something. And clearly we still want nothing more than to get into each other's pants."

"I don't do that any more," Ianto said.

"What? Sex?"

"You!"

Jack took a deep breath through his nose. "What's that mean?"

"It means I won't be a half-hearted relationship again," Ianto said. "I won't be the stand-by when you can't find someone else. I won't be the other alternative to the Doctor." He held up his hand for patience. "I know how it is for you now. You can't commit for long and I know now that when you're with someone, you really are. But there's still secrets and time and who knows what will happen when this mission ends."

"It doesn't have to be like that," Jack said.

"I'm happy, Jack. I really am. I do not need the big mess that you bring to relationships."

"So. You can change, but I can't."

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Sure sounded like it. And I wasn't talking about relationships. I just...we won't be able to focus on this mission if we're half-thinking about how much we want to be fucking instead."

"That's all you want?"

Jack wanted to say it wasn't, that he wanted to get know Ianto more and better and have more than just however long this mission lasted. But the look in Ianto's eyes--something like the sharp edge of a knife, almost like a warning--kept the words locked inside. "Yeah."

"I'll think about it."

Jack nearly screamed.

~~~

_"I-ianto?" Gwen breathed, eyes running up and down Ianto and pale as though she'd seen a ghost. In some ways, she had._

_Ianto swallowed and nodded. He shifted his pack higher on his shoulder. "Yeah."_

_The sounds of waves crashing and sea gulls crying echoed around them as they stared, Ianto in worry and Gwen in shock. He shuffled his feet and she shook her head. "Well, come on in," she said, waving her hand._

_She opened the door further and bustled him inside. The silence now was deafening and Ianto inwardly cringed. He knew this was bad, that this was only going to bring sadness, but there was nowhere else to go. He set his bag down on the floor by the sofa and stood awkwardly. Gwen was biting her lip, arms crossed over her chest. It was odd--Gwen was never this nervous or unsure._

_"Sorry," he said. "I--I can go, if that would be better."_

_"Oh, don't start," she snapped. She took a deep breath and unfolded her arms only to wrap him up in them. "God, I don't know how you did it or if Jack did it, but god, Ianto." Her breath hitched. "You were gone. A-another one, gone."_

_He held her tight. "You didn't consider it? That I could die sometime?"_

_"You were--unshakable I suppose," she said. She pulled back just enough to look him in the face. "Canary Wharf, Lisa, Hart, the Daleks. I dunno, I think I kind of thought you could survive anything."_

_He shrugged. "Guess I can now."_

_She frowned. "You_ were _dead then? Truly and completely dead?"_

_"Yeah. Yeah, I was."_

_She shook her head and began to pace, just a bit. Two steps right and then two steps left. "And now Jack's gone."_

_"Gone where?" he asked quickly. He needed to find Jack, he was sure of that. If there was anyone on this planet who could tell him what happened or point him to the one who could, it was Jack._

_She shrugged and looked a little lost. "I dunno. He's gone. He stayed for your funeral--bastard thought I wouldn't see, but I saw him. Just at the edge of the graveyard--" Her eyes bore into his. "The graveyard. I know you were in the coffin. How--"_

_"Don't want talk about it," he said quickly. He doesn't quite remember all of it, but he does remember panicking when he woke up and tearing his hands into shreds in a mad rush to the surface. Breathing fresh air and looking up into the sky full of stars that looked like diamonds._

_Gwen nodded firmly. "Right. After that, I didn't see him. Until a couple of months ago and he said--goodbye." Tears welled up in her eyes._

_He sighed. "Of course he would."_

_"It was too much for him, I think," she said. "Too many deaths."_

_"Probably felt like he was causing more of them than saving," he muttered._

_Her face tightened as though that was not reason enough, but before their conversation could continue, a cry rang out. A baby cry. Ianto blinked. Of course. Her baby. He half smiled. "Is it a boy or girl?"_

_She smiled. "A girl. A beautiful Welsh girl." She left momentarily and returned with a small bundle that was reaching out for her mother._

_Ianto took a deep breath. "That's one life saved."_

_Gwen gave him a soft smile. "Mind if I--"_

_He waved his hand. "No, go on." He even turned his back for a moment so she could settle the baby. "What'd you name her?"_

_She sat on a chair and watched the baby. "Anwen."_

_"That's a good name," he said, watching with envy. He had only dreamed of it, once or twice. Torchwood made it near impossible to have a family, but he had wanted it. Some days more than others._

_"You can spend the night," she said. "Rhys won't mind." She looked up and pierced him with a fierce look. "But what will you do now? Torchwood is in hiding. It's why we're out here, in the middle of nowhere. Protected by the crown from her own government." She frowned. "How did you find us? No one knows where we are except the Queen."_

_He smirked. "I've got my resources still. It's amazing what one can find if one looks in the right place. You don't have to worry about anyone else finding you--I only found out because I knew where to look."_

_"You better hope so," she said. She took a deep breath. "But, Ianto, if we're on the run, what do you think will happen to you, someone who was supposed to have been dead?"_

_He shrugged. "I wish I could say. I was hoping to find Jack. I didn't think you knew where he was, but if he's gone..."_

_"Sorry, love. You'll have to do without him."_

_He rubbed his face and sat on the sofa, lost. "I don't know what to do. I've got nowhere to go--I can't go see my sister, the rest of my family is dead. I had no friends except you and Jack."_

_She was silent for a few minutes. "Don't leave. Please." She sounded close to tears again._

_He couldn't promise so he said nothing. When she looked at him again, her sorrow and loss were heavy in her eyes. He looked away._

Ianto woke up gasping and crying. Gwen. He hadn't thought about her in years. He remembered her, of course he did, but Ianto had long ago learned not to dwell on the past. If he had a shorter life span, he would have that privilege, but he didn't. He was going to live forever (or so it seemed) and he firmly kept his memories locked up tight. He lived in the present.

Until Jack.

Jack bloody Harkness.

Ianto wiped away his tears and left the bunk. A quick shower and then breakfast. Much like the Doctor, Jack was larger than life. He filled a room with his presence and when he left, he left behind a bit of whatever he was so that he remained with you even after. Throughout Ianto's life, Jack remained with him, a ghost haunting him. He could go some time without thinking of Jack, Torchwood, all of that. His life on Earth was done. But sometimes, he would hear Jack laughing or teasing him. Remember some moment with him. 

Jack Harkness was not the sort of man easily forgotten and he was worse as a lover.

It had been fun back then. Jack loved to pretend he was laid back and without care and he brought that joyful attitude to bed. It was something playful, an adventure to be shared. Sex was serious, but it was also something to enjoy and Ianto had slowly embraced into that attitude. It hadn't been easy, not at all. Not with the life he had been leading.

Growing up on the estate had not left room for a lot of fun--they all were too aware of the future that waited for them. The down and out, the unwanted, they were living in the same area they would die in and their future jobs were likely the same they would have when they turned sixteen. Many of them, Ianto knew, had not gone on to take their A levels. What would the point be?

Not for Ianto, though. He swore he wouldn't let it take him down. He would reach further, dream bigger, go farther. He refused to let the estate take him. He took his A levels and applied for an internship at some new office in London. It paid enough that he could get some fancy suits and never again look like an estate kid. Little did he know, it was because he was from the estate that he had been hired. Torchwood London would take kids like him and put them in the jobs that had the least likely survival rate. Who would care--they were from the estates.

Except that Ianto proved quick and agile and he survived the testing of alien items. So they put him in some little basement office, sorting and organizing. It was good work, paid well, no one asked him any questions or looked down at him. Or looked at him at all. It wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but he was no longer 'that estate kid who got caught stealing'. He was Ianto Jones, in fashionable suits and in an important office. (In quieter, wistful moments he imagined that this must have been where Bond had started before they let him have his chance to be a super spy.)

Outside the office, though, he was popular. Flirty and pretty, there was never any shortage of willing dance partners for him. It was good. And then there had been Lisa who was proud to be out on dates with Ianto even though he worked far below her security clearance. They had slotted together so easily and they made playful plans for their future. It was good.

Until the Cybermen. Yvonne Hartman and her grand plans. It took everything. Including Lisa. What else could he do but return to Wales and find Torchwood Three? He had to save her so they could have their future together. One that was comfortable and where they could own their own house with children who would have the best education so they, too, could be more than their grandparents had been.

He had almost done it, he was close. Or so he had thought. At the last minute, whatever the Cybermen had done, Lisa was lost forever to him. Gone. In a blink. For a long time, Ianto blamed Jack. And after that night, he had thought about taking Retcon and leaving Torchwood forever. Jack would make sure he had a good job. 

He still didn't know why he hadn't left. 

And then there was Jack. Who had left off flirting and teasing for just a bit. Long enough that Ianto's heart was beginning to heal and ready to begin again. Certainly not a relationship, but it might be nice, once in a while, to go out on the pull. Once or twice. Jack seemed to know (maybe he had spied Ianto at the bars and clubs, who knew?) and started up the old dance.

It had been another thing he hadn't understood about himself--why he had decided to take what Jack offered. Maybe a bit of fun--for there was no doubt about it, Jack was the sort who could make sex fun and not at all depressing. Ianto had needed it. He recognized that sometime after. Wasn't easy to admit, but he did need it. And since Jack was not the possessive sort, he did go on the pull once or twice. Jack was great and fun, but sometimes Ianto needed a woman who was curves and softness and who wanted whispers and light kisses and darkness.

It was an odd time for him. Jack and Torchwood and aliens and a team bound together by one giant secret and pretending that he was a regular government bee. (Some of the girls he picked up giggled and asked him if he was MI6 or James Bond in disguise. That was fun.) He learned to laugh again and let go of his past a bit and grew up some.

The 456. One of Jack's secrets. Scaring the Earth into something that would become a united Earth government. And shaking up Ianto's life.

Dying in Jack's arms in the Thames House was something he wouldn't forget easily. He still had nightmares once in a while about it, the pain and darkness. One never did forget dying. And then waking up in a coffin, his unconscious thoughts processing what he was and his instincts propelling him up and out. Gwen. Getting a lift off planet to find Jack or just find himself. He didn't know what, exactly, he was looking for; he just knew he needed to get off the planet. He needed to.

And god, the universe was so _big_. Exactly as Douglas Adams had once said it was. So big you couldn't think about it without loosing yourself. In time, Ianto let go of finding Jack and became a universal citizen, a man of talents that were employable and let go of his past. Sometimes on the slow path, sometimes with the Doctor. Adventures and escapes and occassionally a renegade; a decade here or there in a quiet community, being an average citizen. Lovers and friends. It was good.

Except that Jack would still sometimes haunt him.

Ianto threw his sort-of spoon into the bowl of what was supposed to be oatmeal (which it wasn't as the only planet to have oats was Earth) and held his head in his hands. He wondered if Jack knew the effect he had on people or if he, like the Doctor, pretended that he really wasn't that important.

And now, now Jack was here, on this ship, on this mission and offering a casual relationship.

Ianto didn't think he could do it. He hadn't meant to make it sound like he only had serious relationships--he loved flings and one night stands and open relationships where he was the fun third wheel the partners loved to share. He had learned to love life and people, human and humanoid alike. It had been months since his last relationship and just a bit less since he last had anyone in bed. Which was fine as sometimes a man needed time alone.

Which was exactly when the universe decided to toss him Jack.

And as usual, Jack was infuriatingly right. There had always been attraction between them. Always. It wasn't just Jack. They had something. It nearly sparked when they were close enough. It would certainly make this mission more difficult if they were thinking about fucking each other rather than their job.

They were only a day away from Chroyben. That would certainly be enough time for them to fuck and then get the job done. Then they could go home and their separate ways and forget each other.

And if he kept to that plan, it would happen. It would.

~~~

"Yes," Ianto said when Jack finally left his bunk.

Jack blinked. "What?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "I'm saying yes. Let's fuck."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "That easy? No flirting or teasing? Just 'let's fuck'?"

Ianto sighed. "What do you want then?"

Jack smirked. "Well, I was hoping for dinner and--"

"Just sex," Ianto said, firm. He didn't want anything else and anything more than just sex would complicate things.

Jack had visibly deflated. "All right."

"Look, I'm fine without you, but you're right, we need to relieve some of this tension so we can focus on the mission," Ianto said. "It's practical. When we're done with the mission, we'll take our money from Thrax and that's that."

Jack took a deep breath. "Fine. Just sex. But, Ianto, you know me." He spread his arms helplessly. "Sex is fun for me."

"Oh, I know," Ianto said, smiling for the first time. "I remember."

Jack chuckled and walked to Ianto. His hands settled on Ianto's hips slowly, unsure and not like the smooth confidence he was showing. "Well, I've learned a few new tricks since then."

"So have I," Ianto whispered against his lips. 

Jack looked down at Ianto's mouth and then back up. "Show me."

~~~

Ianto checked their weapons and nodded to himself. He ran through their supplies and made last minute changes to ensure that they wouldn't run out of ammo. He opened the package that contained a bomb that would bring down the Nixie's main ship. "Jack?"

"Hmm?"

Ianto followed that to the main room where Jack was sending off a message to the nearest contact for the human empire. "All set?"

Jack nodded and hit send. "Set. Hopefully, the empire will send over a ship to oversee the transfer and after we get rid of the Nixie they'll set up a military station and keep an eye on this place."

"You would think that because of the resources, they would have protected it better," Ianto said.

"Well, for years this was safe," Jack said. "Besides, no one is really crazy enough to mess with this current human empire. They're very formidable."

"Until one crazy Nixie gets some asinine idea," Ianto said. "I've checked our weapons and supplies. We should be good to go."

Jack closed down the screen. "Right. I want to go over the plan just once more so I have it right."

"I'm going to get us close enough that we can use a cable to fly from here to his ship," Ianto said. "Lucky for us, this ship is small but powerful enough that we won't register on his radar until we're already back here. We'll go in through the cargo bay and from there, we go up the ducts to the main engine. We set the bomb, get back here, and then message him to let him know that he needs to get off that ship in five minutes."

"At which point it'll be too late?" Jack asked hesitantly.

Ianto nodded. "Yes. We want to make sure that he won't have time to diffuse the bomb."

"What if someone finds us before we get to the engine room or before we get back here?" Jack asked.

"We're both good with guns, we'll be fine if someone finds us," Ianto said. "And if we can't get out before the bomb goes off..." He winced. "Well, I don't know about you, but I've been blown up in space before. It isn't easy, but I've got a homing beacon on this ship that will put me back to it when my cells finally pull back together. I'll pull you back in once I'm here."

Jack shuddered. He had been lucky he knew to not have been killed in the void of space or been left in pieces in it, but thinking about it now was not something he wanted to experience. If it did happen, though, he was pleased to know that Ianto had thought of a plan for it. "Are you sure this ship will survive the blast?"

"It might drift away, but it'll be fine," Ianto said. "The shields are amazing on it. She'll take it."

Jack nodded. "All right then. Let's go get rid of this monster."

~~~

Somewhere, somewhen, another ship changed its charted course as its owner had no idea what was about to happen. Timelines had to be saved.

And on Nixie, a war machine was being put under its final test run.

~~~

The cargo bay was noisy with the sounds of working machines and people. Jack and Ianto slipped in through the smallest door--smallest being big enough to take a ship three times the size of the one Thrax had given them--and quickly stepped into an open storage closet. They watched as a crew member checked the bay door and then the controls, seemingly confused. He punched in something on the control pad and then stepped away.

"Likely told someone that there's a malfunction on the door," Ianto said. "We've got to go now."

Dancing along the wall in shadows, they got to the other end of the cargo bay. It was almost too easy, but as the crew were all busy packing up the minerals that Chroyben was exporting, it was expected. Any movement they saw could be waved away as something shifting. Ianto got them into a duct after calling up a map of them on the computer.

"Good to know your memory is still as sharp as ever," Jack joked quietly.

Ianto smirked. "Always handy to have."

Jack remembered the night before--there was something to be said about a lover who knew where all your favorite spots were. "Oh, yeah."

"Not now," Ianto hissed.

Right. Never happened. If Ianto's attitude was anything to judge, it wouldn't happen ever again. Jack wondered if it was that he was easily dismissable or if there was something more going on. He remembered Ianto's insistance that he didn't want anything to do with Jack and relationships and wondered why. Was it because of their past relationship--the distance Jack had kept? Was it because Ianto was immortal now? Or was it, as Jack feared, because of Jack himself?

"I can hear you thinking from here," Ianto said.

"You always could," Jack said.

"Your psychic focus is too strong," Ianto chided. "If you're thinking too hard about someone, they know. I think that's why you drove Gwen crazy."

"There was a lot more than my focusing too hard on her," Jack argued.

"I know," Ianto said darkly. Almost deadly. Jack shuddered despite the warmth of the duct. "But now is not the time. Focus on the mission, Jack."

Jack sighed and pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. Focus. 

~~~

Ianto turned left and then right, hearing Jack right behind him. His body still stung and warmed and tingled where Jack had been most of last night. Jack had remembered every place that Ianto was sensitive; some of them weren't that sensitive anymore, true, but they had been and so Jack had spent time biting and kissing them. He had forgotten what it was like to be Jack's focus. Ianto had had lovers that were amazing and could take him to heights he hadn't imagined before. There had been creative lovers and those who fucked as though they would be dead the next day. He'd had lovers who were psychic and who could set of his pleasure with just a brush of the mind; there were some who used both their psychic talents and physical talents to bring their partner pleasure.

Few, though, had Jack's talents. He brought just the right combination of focus and skill and finese that one was left feeling like you had simultaneously had the best adventure of your life and also the best, longest rest of your life. You felt like you could tackle whatever the day threw at you after having sex with Jack. Even if it was nothing more than spilled coffee.

It had been good. Amazing. Ianto would be sated for months after last night.

Unfortunately, it had also left him wanting more. Sex that good was rare and Ianto's body yearned for more it, like an addict who had quit and then tried the drug again. He wanted more.

Damn it.

And then Jack had to go and start thinking about it all, thinking about the distance Ianto was stubbornly clinging to. It had flipped a switch and all Ianto wanted to do was stop for a quick one. His cock was heavy and demanding in the tight pants, almost painfully. It teased that a quick one would only take a few and they certainly had that, didn't they?

No, they didn't, Ianto said firmly. He had to get this job done and get them out so they could return back to Thrax. Forget that he had ever decided to fuck Jack again. Forget that he had ever wanted him again. Forget this whole mess and--

He let out a breath he hadn't been holding and crawled the last few feet. "There," he said with an inner cheer. He opened a hatch and pointed down. "Main engine room."

~~~

The room was quiet, empty of anyone. Ianto had hoped that at least they would find an engineer. But no one. It was almost...he quickly opened a door and pushed through several wires to find a place for the bomb. Activated the advanced perception filter he brought just in case and turned it on. He closed the door and stood back. "Right. Back to the cargo bay."

"Not quite," a voice said behind them.

Ianto turned, raising his gun, as a Nixie--yellow scales dark with both amusement and anger. walked toward them, his own gun raised. Behind him came several guards. The Nixie smirked. "Thought you could just sneak in, did you? I won't waste my breath asking what you were doing." He waved his gun-free hand and several others came forward, others who were not guards. They quickly opened several doors, looking for whatever.

Ianto inwardly smirked. "Good luck."

The Nixie narrowed his eyes and waved them forward with his gun. "We're going for a little walk. The boss wants to see you both. Maybe he'll let me torture you until you tell us what your plan was. Maybe tell us who you're working for."

Ianto shared a look with Jack out of the corner of his eye. Seconds later, the room exploded in a shower of fire.

~~~

In the end, though they had put up a good fight, they found themselves bruised, blooded, and in handcuffs.

Jack spit out the blood that had pooled in his mouth. "Ugh. Always hate a day that ends with spilled blood."

"Should have expected it," Ianto muttered. He dabbed at a head wound that was trickling blood into his eye. "Those aren't ordinary thugs."

"Oh, really?" Jack sniped. "What was your first clue?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "I only hope that the boss will be classic and spill his plans to us."

Another Nixie asked, "And why would I do that?" the main control room. It was spacious yet crowded with control desks.

"Ah, you must be the one in charge," Ianto said. "Lovely."

"Vraethn," the Nixie said in introduction. "And you are? No, let me guess, from the human empire?"

Jack said, "On our own, actually. Price on your head, you know."

"Bounty hunters?" Vraethn said. "Interesting. Whatever for? I took this planet legally--the humans are not here demanding I give in. This was free for the taking."

Ianto shook his head. "It's illegal to take any planet that exports needed supplies for two-thirds of the universe. Standard law for nearly every empire and governing body."

Vraethn shrugged. "Nixie does not have such a law. We're kind of primitive--if it's free for the taking, you take it."

Jack muttered, "Figures."

Vraethn narrowed his eyes. "Now, there is another matter. On one of my other ships, they found someone poking around in their security bay. Odd that it happened at the same time that we found you. Perhaps you know about it?" He walked over to a consol and typed in a few numbers. Ianto shot a confused look at Jack who shrugged, looking just as confused. A holo screen came up and it showed a rather familiar face surrounded by more guards. "Friend of yours?"

Ianto rolled his eyes and Jack chuckled a little. On the screen, Eleven half smiled. "Jack! And Ianto! Fancy seeing you two here!"

Vraethn frowned. "A conspiracy."

"Oh, no," the Doctor said. "Didn't know they were in the neighborhood."

"But you know each other," Vraethn insisted.

Jack said, "Old friends. Trouble seems to follow us both and it seems we found it at the same time."

Ianto smiled. "What are you doing there, Doctor?"

"Oh, you know," the Doctor said. "Tardis does what she wants--I was on my way to this lovely planet, you would love it, they have these amazing bakeries. But the Tardis lands me here and I look around and well, here I am, under arrest." He frowned. "By those who are not from Chroyben and let me tell you, that's suspicious, it is."

Vraethn smiled. "Good. You don't know anything."

Ianto chanced a look at his wrist band. "Well, I've got some bad news."

"About that little thing you stashed in the engine room?" Vraethn asked. "What was that? Where is it?"

Ianto smirked and shrugged. "Just a little something that will reduce us all to dust in about...two minutes."

The Doctor's face fell and he yelled, "What? No! No, no. You can't have done that, Ianto? Why would you do that? Do you know--of course you do."

Ianto shrugged. "We were supposed to be out of here already. Weren't expecting Nixie royal guard."

"How'd you know that?" Vraethn demanded. "Tell me!"

Jack answered, "Bit too trained to be hired helped. So, Doctor, any ideas?"

The Doctor sighed. "A few. Can you two get to about five steps to the left?"

Jack and Ianto shared another look and then looked at their guards. Deciding it would be easier to ask questions later, they did as asked, the guards and Vraethn all nervous and on edge. "Perfect," the Doctor said. He raised his arm and pointed his screwdriver at something off screen. On the ship, Jack and Ianto disappeared.

And the ship, one and a half minutes later, blew up.

~~~

"Well, see, that's something you've got to expect, isn't it?" the Doctor was saying to the guards surrounding him. "Never keep your controls to your transporter in the same room you keep prisoners. What if they do try to run?" He looked at Jack and Ianto who were a bit dazed. "Isn't that right? Are you okay?"

Ianto nodded. "A bit confused, but as you're here, that's fine."

Jack chuckled. "Quite right. We're fine. You?"

The Doctor beamed. "Fine. Now, if you two are here--"

"Enough," one of the guards said. He looked like a Nixie, but not. Kind of as though he had spent too much time underground in a pond. He kept his gun trained on the Doctor, seemingly to have decided he was the bigger threat. "You may have destroyed that ship, but I'm second in charge and this time, nothing will go wrong." He gestured and one of the others took the Doctor's screwdriver.

"Hey!" he said.

The one in charge smirked. "Can't have you getting out of the prison, can we? Take them away. Put them in separate cells."

Ianto sighed as they were pushed down further and into one of the dankest places he'd ever been in. There was even water dripping steadly down the walls. One by one, they were locked into a cell and then left alone. "Well, now, this is quite the reunion, isn't it?" the Doctor said. "Though I have to say, it's weird seeing you two together. How'd that happen?"

"Inevitable," Ianto said. "We're the best at certain things."

"We were supposed to be delivering medicine," Jack said. "That's my specialty. Ianto's is getting us past whoever is in charge and get rid of them."

The Doctor's voice was fond. "He is good at that."

Ianto asked, "And why are you here exactly? I know, I know. The Tardis. But haven't you found anything out?"

"Yes, but I would first like to get out of here," the Doctor said.

Ianto smirked and removed his boot. "Lucky us they have primitive cells. Just good old fashioned mechanical locks. If they weren't, we'd be stuck here."

Jack replied, "I wouldn't say that." He watched Ianto remove two pieces of metal from some inner pocket on his boot and stick them in the lock. "You remember where I like to hide things?"

Ianto chuckled. "Yeah. Still have no idea where you learned that."

"Maybe one day I'll tell you," Jack said with a wink.

Ianto rolled his eyes. The Doctor watched them both. "So, is this just a professional relationship or are you two more?"

"More," Jack said.

"Professional," Ianto said at the same time.

They looked at each other, Ianto with a glare and Jack offended.

The Doctor groaned. "Ianto."

Jack turned to the Doctor so fast he almost cracked his neck. "What?"

"Thanks," Ianto muttered. "Keep quiet from now on, yeah? Please?"

"I don't understand humans," the Doctor said. "I really don't. How your species ever managed to reproduce is beyond me. You make it all so--" he waved his hand. "Complicated."

"Complicated, that's a good word for it," Ianto muttered. "Very, very complicated."

Quietly, Jack said, "Wouldn't be."

Ianto kept working. "What have you found out, Doctor?"

"Well, it seems the Nixie in charge of this mess wasn't on his own as it first appeared," the Doctor said. "He's working for the royal family." Ianto got his cell unlocked and moved quickly to unlock Jack's. "I don't know quite what they're doing, but they need the minerals from Chroyben."

Jack asked, "Why not just buy it?"

Ianto muttered, "So no one would notice. Has to be. And I think he was right--that Nixie doesn't subscribe to the near-universal rule of not hogging resources."

"They don't," the Doctor said. "They take what they want. Not as often any more--far too many would be after them if they did as they like to take things that the rest of the universe needs. Like the minerals here. But I think you're right, Ianto. They likely don't want anyone noticing what they're taking."

Jack's cell opened and Ianto began working on the Doctor's. "Do you know if there's one in specific they're looking for?"

"Something called Mryethium," the Doctor said. "It's very harmless--most species use it for healing."

"Well, if it's used for healing, could it possible be used to harm?" Jack asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. I might if I saw any notes from the experiment or got it to my lab on the Tardis."

"Well, we've got a bigger problem now," Ianto said. "If they're exporting this material, it's to Nixie and whatever they need it for is there."

"Could they just be using it for healing?" Jack mused.

"Can't," Ianto said. "They would just buy."

Jack nodded in agreement. "So, kids, what's the plan?"

"Neutralize their military here and then go to Nixie?" Ianto suggested.

The Doctor sighed. "Suppose we've got no other choice, do we? I hate when these things involve more than one place. Makes it more difficult."

~~~

The Tardis helped make the clean up on Chroyben easy. They first destroyed the base that was set up planetside and then a few quick jumps in the Tardis and the patrolling ships were done. Jack and Ianto insisted on taking a brief hour to land their ship and deliver the needed medical supplies.

When they returned, the Doctor asked, "All set?"

"Set," Ianto said.

"Now to Nixie," Jack said. He rounded the consol, running his hand along it, becoming familiar with the new controls. Ianto, he noticed, was already standing a quarter turn from the Doctor, hand steady on something that looked like an old jute box selector.

The Doctor muttered, "I just can't figure out what they need the Mryethium for. I got a sample from Chroyben and gave it to the Tardis to analyze. So far, nothing."

Jack settled by a lever that felt familiar from a previous consol and set his feet firmly. He remembered all too well how the Doctor drove her. "And why would they bother?"

"Hmm?" the Doctor asked, still studying the read outs. He absently flipped switches and levers and turned a wheel. Ianto was clicking keys and Jack pushed up on his own lever. The Tardis shook just a bit as they took off for Nixie.

"Why would they need this mineral?" Jack specified. "What could they be building? What do they need it for?"

"Won't know until we ask, eh?" the Doctor said with a smirk.

Jack shook his head and watched the Doctor return to the analysis. Jack watched Ianto who was focused on his keys and the screen in front of him. Jack remembered Ianto telling him that he had flown with the Doctor before, but it was so...odd watching Ianto fly the Tardis. It was effortless and seamless. The Tardis jerked and Ianto punched in a quick set of numbers that righted the ship. Jack shook his head, amazed.

"Can't fly a regular ship too well, but an advanced time machine you can?" he teased.

Ianto smirked, looking at Jack completely. "It's easy when the ship tells you what to do."

The Doctor grinned. "She likes him," he said. "Took to him right away. Well, after she got used to...you know." He winced.

Ianto licked his lips. "She just needed a gentle hand."

"Ha!" the Doctor yelled. "Gentle hand. Right. I'm gentle with her."

"No you're not," Jack and Ianto said together. They smirked.

The Doctor huffed as the Tardis lights danced in something that seemed like amusement. "I see where I place. Figures."

More laughter from the Tardis. Ianto reached over and pushed a button. "Landing, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded and pulled something that looked like the ball push on a old Earth pinball machine. A quiet shudder, the engines groaned, and they were there. Nixie.

"Well, let's go meet the neighbors, yeah?" the Doctor said.

~~~

"A supply closet?" Ianto asked as they stepped out.

The Doctor shrugged. "Sorry."

Jack keyed open the door and cautiously looked out. "Coast is clear." 

As he hacked the computer, Ianto said, "At least we're in a military building. And it looks like your driving skills have improved considerably. We're in the right building."

The Doctor smirked. "Take that, sir."

Jack raised an eyebrow, looking at them both. Ianto smiled. "I teased him about it all the time."

"Never let up about it," the Doctor said. "I told him that it was the Tardis' fault. Lands where she wants to."

"And she would land where you wanted if you were gentler with her," Ianto insisted.

"And I'll have you know that I once had a conversation with her and she said she always takes me where I needed to go," the Doctor argued.

Jack said, "She can't talk."

The Doctor looked smug and yet a little sad. "That's a tale for another day. Remind me to tell you when you finally take me out for that drink."

"Well, we can't spend all day chit chatting," Ianto said. "We've got a mystery to solve and the cameras have been disabled. Let's go before they figure it out."

The hallway was deserted and dimly lit. "Why hide it here? It doesn't look like the kind of facility I would hide some new war technology in," Jack said.

"Hide it in plain sight," Ianto muttered.

"Hush," the Doctor hissed.

Ianto led the way, turning them this way and that. They stuck close to the walls, checking rooms and using some when they were passed by patrols. For the most part, however, the building was empty. It was almost disturbing. Where were the guards if this was some new technology? Did the population know about it? But they coudn't--a broadcast like that would have spread the word and other governments would know. Wouldn't they? Jack hadn't had to think of these kinds of things in years--he'd quit the profession to escape memories and any more accidents. It was safer. He wondered how Ianto managed.

Finally, after they had been ducking in and out for almost an hour, they found the right room. It was guarded by two armed soldiers. "Plan?" the Doctor asked.

Ianto looked at Jack who reached around for his hidden gun. "You or me?"

Ianto narrowed his eyes. "You were hiding that--you get to do it."

Jack frowned. "What's the supposed to mean?"

"Oh, just stun them," the Doctor huffed.

Jack rolled his eyes and crept out from behind the cover of the corner. The guards instantly had their guns trained on him. He held his hands up as he approached and they watched warily. "No harm. Honestly. Just got a bit lost."

"State your rank and your orders," one demanded.

Jack stopped a few feet shy. "Captain. No orders." He shot off two rounds in a quick second and the guards slumped. He grabbed one gun as Ianto ran up to grab the other. The Doctor stopped at the key pad near the door and used his sonic to pick the computerized lock. "Nothing like a good old fashioned screwdriver, eh?"

The doors hissed open and they were instantly facing several more armed guards. Scientists paused in their work. A hush fell, heavy and deep. The Doctor led the way into the room. "Hello. Just popped in for a quick chat--wondered what you were up to."

A man in similar garb to the soliders, but with far more decoration stepped forward. "Forgive me. Admiral Thyesaw. Who are you and why are you here?"

The Doctor held up his psychic paper. "Health and safety inspector. Wanting to check to be sure that all those in this area are safe."

"From where?" Thyesaw asked, smiled seemingly pleasant.

"The royal office," the Doctor said. "Now, what are you doing in here?"

"Testing, sir," one of the scientists piped up. She wilted under the look that Thyesaw shot her, but she continued. "It's a new weapon using Mryethium."

The Doctor walked calmly over to her computer and looked at her notes. "What for?"

"We discovered that if you combine it with Lyopits, from here on Nixie, you get a chemical reaction that explodes within a few standard seconds," she said. "It will help the royal army reclaim its territories."

"So Nixie will once again be a force to be reckoned with," the Doctor said quietly.

"Many have forgotten our strength," Thyesaw said. "We will remind them. They will bow before us, their superiors."

Ianto edged away as the guards were watching the Doctor. He always loved this--since the Doctor drew attention as a magnet drew in metals, Ianto often had the chance to do what needed to be done. A few clicks on a free computer and he had the read out for the machine. Another quick click through and alarms began blaring. "Oh, woops. Sorry." He smirked at the soldiers who were staring at him.

"What did you do?" Thyesaw demanded.

"Set off the emergency self destruct," Ianto said. "Too bad that you decided that you needed only this one, eh? Then you might have a back up plan."

"Do you know what that will do?" Thyesaw roared. "If this building goes, that device will create an explosion big enough to kill all life forms in a fifty kilometer radius."

"Then it's good that I broadcasted an emergency evacuation," Ianto said. "Good of you to put this out here, where there's only a few villages. They'll get out in time. But that device won't. I suggest we all leave now."

There was only a moment's pause before the scientists were all leaving. Some of the soldiers abandoned their posts, but some stayed as Thyesaw called for them to remove the device now.

Jack looked pleadingly at Ianto. "I hope you remember your way back to the Tardis."

Ianto smirked. "Of course."

~~~

"Well, it's been fun, but we need to go," Ianto said. He didn't look at Jack, careful not to see whatever emotion Jack was feeling. He didn't want to get wrapped up in Jack's mess again.

The Doctor hummed and set the Tardis on auto. He looked at Ianto. "No."

Ianto blinked. "No? What do you mean no?"

"Yeah," Jack added. "I kind of want to claim the rest of my payment."

The Doctor said, "Oh, little things. You will. I can get you back to Chroyben in time to return to get whatever. But I'm keeping you both here to clear up some issues. I've travelled with you both and it's past time."

Ianto crossed his arms. "It doesn't matter. Get us back."

"No," the Doctor insisted. "Look, I know that Jack didn't know you were alive and I know that time has changed things, but you two...well, I won't say you pined for the other, but there's definitely something that needs sorting. So get to it. And yes," he added when Jack opened his mouth, "I'm staying. As referee. Make sure you don't kill each other and leave blood everywhere. The Tardis dislikes blood on her consol."

Ianto sighed and looked away. There was nothing to sort. Nothing. He wanted out, back out of the void. Back to his jobs--maybe he could convince Nnaer to do a few more shows. It was always easy just being a musician.

Jack asked, "When did you get so stubborn, Doctor?"

"I've been through a lot in these last centuries," the Doctor answered. "Had a few companions that taught me a few important lessons. These kinds of things should not be left to fester and poison. Enough of me, though. You two, now. Talk."

Ianto remained silent. Jack sighed. "Ianto--no, you know what. It's not me. You know what I want from you."

"Sex? A relationship?" Ianto asked despite himself. "A fling?"

"That's you, not me," Jack shot back hotly. "You're the one who drew the line, who said just one night. I thought...I dunno."

"I'm not the man you knew on Earth," Ianto said quietly.

"Of course you're not," Jack replied. "It's been a long time--you can't possibly be the same man. But I suspect some of you is and...I think that 'some' is the kind who does want a relationship. That's the kind of man you were, at least. You liked having a steady relationship with a few flings here and there."

"And I told you I don't want you," Ianto said. "Just sex."

Jack took a deep breath. "Why? Why not me?"

That word--why--settled deep into the room, echoing and yet not. Resonating in all three of them, a question that they had run from. "Because that's not who I am anymore!" Ianto answered hotly. "I'm not--"

"Not what?" Jack asked. "What's changed that you won't have me?"

"And why do you want me?" Ianto asked.

Jack smiled helplessly. "Because you're sexy and funny and gorgeous and brilliant. Centuries pass and you're still the sort of man that I want in my bed, in my life. You're my type of man that I want a relationship with."

"And so you're hoping that you're the sort of man that I want like that?"

"I was once. I thought that maybe you hadn't changed and you would still want someone like me."

Ianto looked at the Doctor who was calm and composed. Ianto could have taken them out of the Vortex, but he could sense the Tardis at the back of his mind, as stubborn as her Doctor. They would be stuck in the Vortex until this got sorted. Ianto sighed. "I--yes, of course you're still my type."

Jack beamed, but then frowned. "So--"

"You're so big, Jack! You take up all the space in the room and you become everything for someone. I'm--"

"You're something special," Jack said softly.

Ianto dared to look and saw Jack was looking away, sadly. "Jack."

"I don't know what made you ever think you couldn't match up, but you are amazing, Jones, Ianto Jones." Jack looked at Ianto. "If I had ever been half the man you were and are, I might have never left Boeshane. I'd have stayed and helped my mom. Instead of trying to find my brother."

Ianto swallowed hard. "But then you wouldn't have met the Doctor or Rose or--" _me_.

Jack shrugged. "There's probably a parallel universe where I stayed. Who knows what I'm like there."

Ianto took a deep breath. "I'm really nothing special. I'm just Ianto Jones."

"And if I just want Ianto Jones? Isn't that my choice? What if I just want to be with someone completely normal?"

Ianto chuckled softly. "Two immortals--normal?"

"We can make normal," Jack offered.

"What if I want to keep fighting the bad guys while you deliver the supplies?" Ianto asked quietly.

"Then that's what we'll do," Jack said.

Ianto sighed. "I don't know if I can do this, Jack. I meant it--you're so much bigger than me. I can't deal with any issues you may still have with relationships."

"You don't know until you try." Jack's eyes were soft, but not begging. He looked earnest and completely open.

Ianto swallowed hard. Could he try? Was it possible? Could he do this again? "Suppose it's just as likely I'll leave you this time, eh?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Suppose it is. I'll have to deal if--when--it happens."

Ianto looked away, lost in thought. Jack walked a few steps closer. "If I ask you a question, could you answer it honestly?"

"I can try."

Jack sighed and accepted that. "Do you want this? A relationship with me? I'm not asking for monogamy or complete openness, but a partnership where we're as open and honest as we can be."

"I...god, I do. You and all of it."

Jack smiled. "So why can't we? At least try? You'll be as free as you want to be--I won't hold you to anything except trying."

Free to leave when he wanted to. If he wanted to. Travel the stars together. Sex. Love. Their biggest secret not a secret so no worries about dying in front of one's partner. Ianto took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Yes."

~~~

Ianto settled his pack on the floor and stepped out of his shoes. Dinner was going to be great if the smell was any judge. Jack looked around the corner and smiled. "Hey. How'd the show go?"

"Good," Ianto said. "The audience ate it up and we're lined up for seven more shows."

Jack sighed. "Guess that means more nights all alone."

Ianto smirked and kissed Jack. "I promise to make it up to you."

"Mm, what did you have in mind?"

"How about we start with dinner first? I'm starved."

Jack growled. "Is that how I rate? Below dinner?"

Ianto winked. "Need my strength. Can't have me collapsing just as you're about to come. Someone needs to feed your ego."

Jack chuckled and ushered Ianto into the kitchen-cum-dinning room. "Keep at it and I might get an ego that's too big to be the partner of a rising star."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Keep that up and I'll be the one fucking you."

"Mm, now that I would happily take."

"You'll take whatever I give you." 

Jack kissed him. "Always."

Ianto batted his hands away. "Sop."

Jack shrugged, unrepentant. He started serving up their dinner as Ianto poured wine. "Got a message from Thrax, by the way. New job--you know that war out in Alpha Centari?"

Ianto frowned. "Did they cut off the supply line?"

"Yep. They need a couple of experienced hands to get them some extra supplies." Jack handed Ianto a bowl and they sat at the table.

Ianto smirked. "Guess they got the right contact."

Jack did a small dance. "Does that mean we're going?"

Ianto smirked. "Always. Need a bit of an adrenalin rush."

Jack chuckled. "Addict. Just like you."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Says the man who preferred the less dangerous jobs about six months ago."

"What can I say? You lead and I follow."

**Author's Note:**

> If you comment on [dreamwidth](http://alafaye.dreamwidth.org/97999.html#cutid1) or [insanejournal](http://alafaye.insanejournal.com/234285.html#cutid1), you will get a faster reply.


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